Subscribe now
Wandering albatrosses (Diomedea exulans)

Half of migratory animal species are in decline – many face extinction

12 February 2024

The first ever UN report into the state of migratory species suggests animals from sharks to sea birds face a bleak future


Why have orcas been damaging and sinking so many boats?

Why have orcas been damaging and sinking so many boats?

20 June 2023

Orcas have been documented damaging or sinking boats off the coast of Spain and Portugal, but these altercations may simply be the whales scratching their backs on boats or playing terrifying games


Bird flu has killed 20 critically endangered California condors

26 April 2023

A recent outbreak of avian flu has killed 7 per cent of the wild population of California condors, and officials are bracing for the virus’ spread


Killer whales off San Juan Islands

Orcas in the North Pacific may be dying out due to inbreeding

20 March 2023

Habitat and hunting protections have helped orca numbers rebound globally, but a group in the North Pacific Ocean is still shrinking – probably because it is isolated from other populations


Screenshot of livestream of bald eagles Jackie and Shadow nesting in a pine tree in California. Credit: Friends of Big Bear Valley

Watch rare livestream of bald eagles nesting on eggs in California

18 January 2023

Two eggs laid by a pair of nesting bald eagles in California are the latest symbol of success for the once-imperiled species


Image taken from the Extinct & Endangerd exhibition by Levon Biss, in collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History. The project shines a light upon insect decline and biodiversity, displaying insects that are either already extinct or under severe threat. The photographs by Levon Biss are created from up to 10,000 individual images using microscope lenses and contain microscopic levels of detail to provide the audience with a unique visual experience.

Endangered insects captured in vivid photographs

11 January 2023

Photographer Levon Biss's project Extinct and Endangered: Insects in peril combines thousands of shots of insect specimens to create these startlingly clear images


Vaquita or Gulf of California Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena sinus), caught as by-catch, Baja California, Mexico, critically endangered species

Vaquitas could breed their way back from the brink of extinction

5 May 2022

The 10 remaining vaquitas have enough genetic diversity to rebuild their species, but only if there is a dramatic reduction of illegal fishing operations in the Gulf of California


A brush-tailed bettong jumps

Endangered bettong reintroduced in Australia after more than a century

24 August 2021

Forty near-extinct brush-tailed bettongs have been reintroduced to mainland South Australia after predators like cats and foxes drove them out more than 100 years ago


Red panda genes suggest there are actually two different species

Red panda genes suggest there are actually two different species

26 February 2020

Genetic analysis suggests that the Himalayan and Chinese red pandas are two different species that diverged about 200,000 years ago


Peruvian frog

Deadly frog fungus now thrives where we thought it couldn’t survive

16 October 2019

A notorious fungus that is devastating amphibian populations is far more common than first thought, leaving biologists wondering why only some infected animals die


Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.

Sign up
Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop